MRSSA not a substitute to ILP, its flexibility enables govt to improve without waiting for Centre’s nod, says Paul Lyngdoh

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaJune 27, 2025

MDA government spokesperson and cabinet minister Paul Lyngdoh on Friday emphasized that the Meghalaya Residents, Safety and Security Act (MRSSA) is an improvement upon the Inner Line Permit (ILP) system.

“MRSSA is not supposed to be a substitute or an adjunct to the ILP but the MRSSA is a state law under which the government and also the state Assembly has had several rounds of debate and it is in one sense an improvement upon the ILP because it has been drafted and framed by law makers of this century,” Lyngdoh told reporters.

He was reacting to the recent statement made by the opposition Voice of the People Party (VPP) that MRSSA cannot replace ILP.

Lyngdoh pointed out that unlike the ILP, which emerged from the Eastern Bengal Frontier Act framed by colonial rulers; the MRSSA allows the state Assembly to come up with amendments from time to time as needed. This flexibility enables the state government to improve upon the Act without waiting for the Centre’s nod.

The minister emphasized that having a state Act like the MRSSA gives the state government the liberty to make improvements at any point in time. He left it to the wisdom of the electorate to understand the significance of having a state law that can be amended according to the needs of the state.

“The ILP emerged from the Eastern Bengal Frontier Act, which was framed by the colonial rulers. So, to that extent the MRSSA would also allow the state Assembly to come up with amendments from time to time as and when needed. So I leave it to the wisdom of the electorate but here we have a state Act, which we are at liberty to improve upon at any point of time without waiting for the Centre’s nod on the same,” he concluded.